Tag: intimate weddings

Lush Secret Garden Wedding at Zonnevanger by Sonje Ludwick

by gaby

A marquee overflowing with flowers, hung with bowers of greenery, edison bulbs twinkling, whimsical china, pops of fuschia and candy pink – all in a lush, green garden setting. Sounds magical, doesn’t it? Well folks, that’s the setting for this gorgeous intimate celebration, with sort of an Alice in Wonderland meets Secret Garden vibe. Sjaun and Anita came from London to celebrate their big day and they did it in style, with their closest friends and family, in a wedding that looks like it was as much fun as it was pretty. And with pretty pictures by Sonje Ludwick, whimsical brides will be pinning to your hearts content!

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20 Stylish Short Wedding Dresses

by gaby

Stylish Short Wedding Dresses from Etsy

Short Wedding Dress by Stellar By Katelyn

Earlier this year, we took a moment to focus on short wedding dresses. Because: total chic. Since then, it’s been so cool to see the amount of hits and pins that post has generated, and know that maybe short wedding gowns are having their day in the sun. I mean, full length gowns will always be awesome, but just like a wedding dress doesn’t have to be white, you can pick a length that suits you too. So! Where to start? Well, you know we love finding new designers on Etsy, and this is the category where these designers really shine. There’s a wealth of pretty, flirty, fabulous gowns on the site, and we’ve picked 20 of our absolute faves! As always, click through on the links or images to see more of each dress. *Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.Read More

City Botanical Wedding at The Pot Luck Club by Marli Koen {Catherine & Jason}

by gaby

Brides and grooms, I beg of you, consider a city wedding, because OMG they are so fabulous. And as cities go, let’s be honest, Cape Town is amazing. So when you combine urban chic with lush botanical styling and a Table Mountain skyline, you get the wedding we have today – super romantic with a touch of glitz… fun, intimate and relaxed… and did I mention pretty? I’m especially in love with both the bride and bridesmaids’ dresses, as well as the greenery that Catherine and Jason chose to decorate both the church (Kate and Wills-style) and their favourite restaurant, The Pot Luck Club. Flowing greenery, inspired by a meadow, bringing the outdoors indoor, and perfectly complementing the city location. Perfect. The lovely Marli Koen was on the scene, capturing every smiley moment and flash of sequin and lace.Read More

Intimate Orchid-Inspired Dullstroom Wedding by Jack and Jane {Cindy & Carsten}

by gaby

We always love when a couple use the details of their wedding day to tell their love story, but when it’s a bijoux wedding, those details often become even more unique and special because there’s more focus (and often more budget) to invest in them. Take today’s gorgeous pair of lovebirds – Carsten proposed to Cindy in tropical Singapore, where she fell in love with a specific type of orchid in the botanical gardens. So when planning their small wedding back in SA, it was those very flowers that the couple chose to remind them of that special time, and which formed the basis of their wedding and floral design. Sweet, simple and truly intimate, we’re so excited to share their happy day with you, beautifully captured by SBB faves Jack and Jane Photography.Read More

Intimate Open Air Wedding at Groot Constantia by Marli Koen {Sarah & Kyle}

by gaby

You know, some of my favourite stories about weddings are about the way that a community (even in our modern age) responds to a bride and groom – for example, the way all the neighbours came out to wave my friend Lee off to her ceremony, for example, or the spontaneous applause that can greet a couple during a city photo shoot. It reminds me of the way that in a European village wedding, the bride and groom might walk from church to reception with their guests following behind and strangers cheering them on – a happy and triumphant parade. Today’s wedding reminds me of that spirit a lot – you can almost feel the sense of community at Sarah and Kyle’s wedding in these lovely pictures by Marli Koen, as well as the couple’s togetherness as they see each other for the first look and couple shoot, greet their guests, collect their waiting retinue, and walk down the aisle together. Their friends and family surround them, leaning in to hear their words of love, and afterwards, under the leafy shade on South Africa’s oldest wine estate, there’s the fluttering of fans, the drinking of wine, and the joy of a love story long in the making come to fruition. I also have to mention how much I love the lasercut pincushion proteas in coloured bottles on each table – such a sweet and fun South African detail!Read More

Intimate Boho Bright Garden Wedding by Riekert Cloete {Lise & Gary}

by gaby

Back in the day when my mom and dad got married, there was none of this whole weekend, hundreds of people at your wedding thing going on. They had a morning wedding and a brunch in my grandparents’ garden. Me, I was a little girl when Princess Diana got married, and from then on, big weddings were the THING. So when I heard about my folks’ wedding, at first I just thought shame*. But I’ve got to tell you, as I’ve done this wedding blogging thing over the years, I’ve found a certain appeal in those intimate backyard/garden weddings. Something incredibly charming about celebrating this huge, momentous thing and then sitting down around a table small enough to talk to everyone there. How wonderful must that feel? Today’s couple opted for just this kind of wedding – in fact, it might be the most intimate wedding I’ve ever featured at just fourteen people including the bride and groom. But it is full of heart, and colour, and family and love. Not to mention all things bright and boho, and the most incredible vintagey dress. I adore every one of Riekert Cloete’s gorgeous photos, which really bring Lise and Gary’s big day to life. Oh, and their how-they-met story? Total Hollywood!Read More

Real Wedding at Palmiet Valley Estate {Amie & Christoph}

by gaby

Happy Tuesday SouthBound brides – hope your week has got off to a splendid start! Mine certainly has, being in Joburg for a flying visit and seeing a couple of friends before I head to Kruger on Thursday. Can. Not. Wait. I am such a bush baby. Anyway, to make your week even more splendid, I have another beautiful winelands wedding from the fab Jani B. I absolutely adore the bright citrus palette that Amie and Cristoph used, their understated rustic styling, and my goodness, Amie’s dress! Not to mention a macaron tower decorated with succulents to match the stunning bouquet – how gorgeous is that? Grab yourself a mid-morning cuppa, and settle in for a big fat dose of lovely.Read More

Real Wedding at La Petite Dauphine {Natalie & Alex}

by gaby

It’s such a pleasure to me to be able to share the stories of so many brides and grooms here on SBB. But it’s even more of a pleasure when I get to share the love story of someone I know, and that’s what I get to do today! Natalie is a fellow Minervianer (which for the non-Stellenbosch crowd means we were in the same res at uni). She’s the loveliest person, and very beautiful, and I always knew some dashing man would sweep her off her feet. It turned out to be one of those stories where Nats fell in love with her best friend (love those, right?!) – I finally got a chance to spend some time with the couple here in London recently and they are ADORABLE. What I love most about their wedding day is that you can see the sheer joy radiating from both of their faces, and in fact this is the first thing Cheryl McEwan, their fab photographer, said to me afterwards, that the love on their big day was so tangible. This is what it’s all about, people! Well, that and a lovely in lavender intimate French-style reception at La Petite Dauphine and a bride in a romantic Suzanne Neville dress… but mostly the love. ;) Don’t miss Nats’ goosebumpworthy description of how they met and got together!Read More

Real Garden Wedding {Lindsay & Gareth}

by gaby

Hello my lovelies! Today’s wedding is a breath of fresh air, or more like a summer breeze on a perfect afternoon (Gaby looks out of the window at a winter London garden and despairs). Lindsay and Gareth wanted an unpretentious wedding focused on their nearest and dearest, so they set aside the usual hunt for a venue and married in an uncle’s garden with a woodfire oven churning out fresh pizza and a live blues band and jukebox. Sounds like heaven, no? If ever a wedding captured the lazy, hazy spirit of summer (as well as the theme of ‘eat, drink and be married’), then this is it, and although we’re usually all about the details, I couldn’t help but delight in Kelland Photography‘s captures of this spirit among the guests as well. Which is just one more SouthBound wedding that goes to prove that doing your wedding your way – whatever that means to you – is also the best way.Read More

Real Wedding at Tintswalo Atlantic {Mehtap & Paul}

by gaby

Guess where I’d like to be right now? Yep, right there on that terrace, sitting at that table, looking out at that incredible view. It’s no secret I think the Cape is just about heaven on earth, but some days even I’m blown away. And I can’t think of a more wonderful and romantic place to begin your life together. The spot in question is the verandah of the luxurious Tintswalo Atlantic, which looks out over Hout Bay and where in season you can spot whales and dolphins frolicking in the waves. It’s one of the Cape’s best kept secrets, and I am desperate to stay there now! It would also make an amazing place for a honeymoon. The other thing I love about Mehtap and Paul’s wedding, which was flawlessly coordinated by the Aleit team and photographed by the ever-awesome Zarazoo, is that it was so small – just them and three lucky guests. A lot of couples who get married in the Cape are looking for something intimate, and this shows just how to do it. A wonderful location, amazing style (how much am I loving the combination of those coral roses with the rustic Atlantic blues?), and great cuisine – with a view to die for. This is destination weddings at their very best.Read More